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My t-cell counts and percentages bounce around all the time for no discernable reason. As long as your viral load stays below 50, you will do fine and don't need to worry about t-cells. Remember that the t-cell count is just a snapshot of the cd4+ cells in your peripheral blood at the moment the blood was drawn. Most of your t-cells are in your body tissues and lymph system and can't be easily measured.

Sit back and relax.Your t-cell count can vary even form the spot your sample is taken from and e.g. when you are fighting an infection.My t-count bounced back from 17!! to 950.It now was 384 in january, back to 586 in march.Had blood taken yesterday and will get results in 10 days.

You are certainly in the safe range.

Hermie

Logged

Diagnosed in 1987 and still kickingViread, Kivexa (Epzicom),Viramune once daily

Eric, I know the feeling so well. I know you want to see things continuously go up and this seems like a backward step. But statistically the CD4s you are down by and the % change is insignificant. It will most likely bounce the other direction next time. You are better off than when you started the meds all the way around. So try not to stress on this one. And I know the CD4s can vary widely from day to day. I had blood drawn one Friday with a CD4 count of 711, blood drawn the next Monday had a CD4 count of 640. Look at the overall movement and remember there are going to be peaks and valleys. Hugs!

As they say, it all depends upon how you look at it. Your numbers look fine and the sooner you realize that your counts will change, the less stress you will have. One thing you should start doing is having your labs drawn at the same time, each time, so you are comparing the same time frame. Our bodies change during the day and so do our numbers. You may be comparing two labs that were taken at opposite times from each other and that alone could cause these changes.

But the thing you want is to see are trends and your trends are going in the right directions, so what's not to like? Take lt from an old timer and realize that your counts are but one indicator of your health. Yes, they are important, but they must be viewed along with other variables. I've always held that as long as I feel pretty good, then my labs are no big deal.

You'll need to decide on how you will look at life, the whole glass half empty/full thing, but spend some time getting to know your body and you'll feel more comfortable in monitoring your health. Numbers are an indicator at best and numbers like yours are just fine.

I can't add much more to what the others have already stated. I believe there was one time, when my percentages dropped a point or two, and then after that continued going up again. Your doing OK Eric !

Thanks guys.... I just don't like giving up an inch. I have worked very hard at this.. My Doctor just responded and said ERIC YOUR FINE! Given the fact you test every six weeks, because of the study, you are bound to see things like this.

The fact that you are concerned is a great sign. It shows that you are taking charge of your life. We all must be responsible and take responsibility for our health care! You are really doing that and that my friend is a large part of the very long battle ahead of you! I have "survived" 22 years of blood work results. And still to this day, I get that nervous feeling in my gut just before the Doc tells me the results>It has been a "Rollercoaster ride" to say the least. My lab results make the stock market tame. This is all part of living with HIV: Each result will go up and will go down. It is just part of the reality. I know you are upset with your slightly bad results. But I can assure you that its not bad. Look at the big picture, not just the latest result. You are going to have bad ones, and you are going to have allot more good ones then bad. So know you have that to look forward to:Just be patient. It does not do any good to panic or get down when you get a bad result. Over reaction just causes more stress, and well we don't need any more stress. That stress you bestow upon yourself will only cause bad things. So relax and take it stride. In a year or so, you will look back on this day and "damn it was no big deal". You will be fine. You numbers are still good. I had a viral load in the 30,000 range for as long as the test was available. Just last year they went to ZERO. So never give up and try not to get upset. I know this is easier said then done, but II believe it will payoff for you in the long run. So relax, have a beer, and hug your lover when he walks in the door. Life is a good thing. Please remember....FUN IS ALLOWEDLove you Lots,Jeff

Hey Eric... Try not to sweat it. You know the numbers go up and down. More importantly,how do you feel? Your energy levels? I just had labs done last Monday and even though Isense they aren't going to be good (energy levels have really dropped) I'm determined tokeep my sense of humor about it. But I do understand what you mean by not wanting to give upeven a inch. Take a deep breath and think positively. Sending you a big cyber HUG!

Then why the hell do you accept it into your life. Please chill. YOu are going to kill yourself with all these ups and downs. Just try to focus on being calm and not let all these things come into your life as "stress". You surely don't need any more things to keep you riled up. Jebus, you Baptists are all alike.

Logged

The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,and 362 to heterosexuals.This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals, It's just that they need more supervision.Lynn Lavne

I have learned alot in the past 24 hours. From all of you and my doc and my Dad . I will not waste another minute on the numbers game. Thnks David, Jeff and Robert. In fact I have my climbing gear ready for this weekend & the south portal climb on Sunday at the bells. Your psychic...

The guys who've posted earlier pretty much said it all. I'd only like to add that a certain amount of variability is inherent in these tests -- "assay variability." Especially with the VL. It's not a simple matter of counting marbles in a bag, though that's the way I intuitively think about testing/measuring/counting something. I've asked biologist friends to explain it in some detail and I understood their explanations for about 15 minutes. Anyway, here's a question/observation I posted on the site www.thebody.org:

Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.